Ice Cream of the World
Italy churns gelato slow and dense, Sicily freezes lemon into granita, Turkey beats dondurma until it stretches, and India freezes kulfi still in a clay pot. America added air, cream and a soda fountain, then invented the banana split, the hot fudge sundae and the root beer float. Here is every style, step by step.
Fior di Latte Gelato (Italian Milk Gelato)
Italy's plainest gelato and the test of every gelateria: mostly milk, a little cream, no eggs, thickened with a spoonful of cornstarch and served softer and warmer than American ice cream.
Sicilian Lemon Granita with Brioche
Lemon juice, zest, sugar and water, frozen and scraped into fine ice the Sicilian way, served for breakfast with a soft brioche for dunking.
French Crรจme Glacรฉe ร la Vanille (Custard Ice Cream)
The French way: a vanilla crรจme anglaise of milk and six egg yolks, cooked until it coats the spoon, finished with a little cream and churned.
Turkish Dondurma (Stretchy Maraล-Style Ice Cream)
Milk and cream cooked with mastic resin and a starch thickener until it pulls in ribbons, churned, frozen in a loaf and sliced, with cinnamon and pistachios.
Indian Matka Kulfi (Saffron and Almond)
Whole milk boiled down to a third of its volume, sweetened, scented with saffron and cardamom, studded with almonds and frozen still in small clay pots, never churned.
Japanese Matcha Ice Cream
An eggless green tea ice cream that tastes like Japan's, not America's: earthy, sweet and a little bitter, with a generous five tablespoons of matcha.
Mexican Mango Paletas
Ripe mango, a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of sugar blended and frozen on a stick: the fruit paleta that made a Michoacรกn village famous.
Filipino Ube Ice Cream
Purple yam cooked down with condensed milk into a quick ube halaya, then whisked with coconut milk and churned into a violet, egg-free ice cream.
Philadelphia-Style Vanilla Ice Cream
The American eggless ice cream: cream, milk, sugar and vanilla stirred together cold, chilled and churned, with nothing cooked and nothing to temper.
Classic Vanilla Custard Ice Cream (Jefferson's Recipe, Updated)
The rich American vanilla: a cream-heavy custard with five yolks cooked to 170 to 175ยฐF, the same idea as the recipe Thomas Jefferson wrote out by hand.
Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream
A dark, dense chocolate custard ice cream made with six yolks and six ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate, blended smooth before it chills.
The Classic Banana Split
A banana split lengthwise around scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, topped with pineapple, strawberry and chocolate sauces, whipped cream, peanuts and cherries.
The Hot Fudge Sundae
Vanilla ice cream under a warm, glossy hot fudge made with butter, unsweetened chocolate and Dutch cocoa, finished with whipped cream, toasted nuts and a cherry.
The Root Beer Float (Black Cow)
Two big scoops of vanilla ice cream in a frosted mug, very cold root beer poured slowly over the top until the foam rises.
Weeknight No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
No machine and no eggs: cold cream, condensed milk and milk powder whipped glossy in a food processor in about 15 minutes, then left to freeze.
Frozen Custard Concrete with Cookies and Fudge, Inspired by Shake Shack
A rich vanilla frozen custard, churned and frozen firm, then mashed with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and fudge into a concrete so thick you can turn the cup upside down.